Combination lock



H. C. BEHRENS COMBINATION LOCK July 21,1953

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 25, 1949 INVENTOR. Herbert CBehr'ens ATTORNEYS Patented July 21, 1953 COMBINATION LooK Herbert G. Behrens, Canton, Ohio, assignor. tov

Diebold, lncorpora.ted, Canton, Ohio, at corporationof Ohio Application August 25, 1949, S erialNo. 112,371

I My invention or discovery relates to combination locks generally, and particularly to a combination lock such as set forth in U. S. Letters Patent No. 1,956,304 issued to Albert L. Abbott and Charles H. Miller, April 24, 1934, and whichincludes a case on the rear of the door equipped with the lock, one or more coaxial cylindrical tumblers having equal diameters and being rotatably mounted in the case, aspindle extending from the outside of the door through the door and into the case and the spindle having a dial with a knob mounted on its outer end rotatable within a dial ring on the outer face of the door and the spindle having on its inner end beyond the tumblers a cylindrical cam with an operating'notch. Usual pin, lever and circular segment means coact between the cam and the innermost tumbler, and between each tumbler and the next outer tumbler, whereby by manipulation of the dial and setting the combination,

cam for unlocking the lock.

lhe lock furthermore includes a reciprocable bolt pivotally connected with one end of an operating lever including an upper arm having a cam follower tongue depending from its outer end, and a stop arm or fence extending from the inner side or" the upper arm parallel with the axis of the tumblers. The operating lever is spring pressed towards the tumblers, and when the tumbler notches are aligned with each other and the operating notch of the cam which is located in the aligned position below the cam follower tongue of the upperarm, the fence is permitted to drop into thetumbler notches and the cam follower tongue is permitted to drop into the operating notch of the cam, whereby the bolt may be withdrawn from its extended locking position, and whereby the boltmay be also extended to locking position when the door is again closed and locked by suitable rotations'of the dial and spindle. After the bolt is extended into locking position, the spindle is then spun in a reverse direction to scramble the combination by turning the tumblers so that their notches are out of alignment with each'other;

Such a lock as set forth in said Abbott and Miller U. S. Letters Patent -No. 1,956,304, with respect to the parts above describedissimilar to other usual combination locks. When the bolt is extended and the combination scrambled the fence rests upon the cylindrical peripheries of the tumblers If such a lock is made in a laboratory to extreme accuracy, and assembled with ments maybe effected by the addition of or extreme precision, the lock cannot be manipulated by an unauthorized person so as to detect the combination and effect unlocking. In the usual mass production of the parts of such a lockand the assembly of thesame, the extreme accuracy necessary for preventing manipulation cannot be attained. Unless the bottom surface 'of the fence is exactly parallel with the axis of rotation of thetumblers, and unless the diameters of the tumbler discs are all exactly the same, when the fence rides over the opening formed by one of the tumbler notches, even though its bottom surface is riding on the peripheries of the remaining tumbler discs, very minute movements of the fence as it rides over the corners of such a notch can be felt in rotating the dial by the fingers of an unauthorized person who knows the internal construction of the lock. In this manner the combination for which the lock is set can be detected. Ordinarily, aperson skilled in breaking the combination of such a lock can determine the combination by manipulation in the manner described in about twenty minutes.-

The objects of the present invention or discovery include the provision of an improved com bination lock of the type set forth in the Abbott and Miller U. S. Letters'Patent No. 1,956,304;v

and in which during setting of the combination,

the fence is elevated above the peripheries of the tumblers, so that when a tumbler notch corner discovery include the provision of such an improved combination lock in which the improvemodification of a limited number of parts of the combination lock set forth in said Abbott and entirely'new set of parts for the improved lock. The'foregoing andoth'er objects are attained by the-combinationlo'ck, construction, improvements, p'arts,combinations, and sub-combinations which comprise the present invention or discovery, the nature of which is set forth in the following general statement, and preferred embodiments of which together-with their mode,

of use are setforth vby way of example in the following description, and which are particularly;

and distinctly pointed out and set-forth in the ap en d g m Q miI a t, here f, ,7 The nature of the improved combination lock of the present invention or discovery may be stated in general terms as including, in combination with other usual parts of a combination lock such as set forth in said Abbott and Miller U. S. Letters Patent No. 1,956,304, the provision on the operating lever of a lower arm below the upper arm, and the provision of an outwardly opening circular groove formed on the inner end of the cam, one wallforming the groove constituting an outer circular flange and there being formed in the outer circular flange a notch opening, and the lower arm having mounted adjacent its outer end a pin which moves through the notch opening in the cam flange when the bolt is being extended to looking position, the pin then riding in the circular groove in the cam and elevating the fence above and clear of the tumblers after the bolt has been fully extended to the locking position, subsequent to which the tumblers are scrambled.

By way of example, preferred embodiments of the combination locks of the present improvements and parts thereof are illustrated in the accompanying drawings forming part hereof, in which:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary oblique perspective view of one embodiment of the improved combination lock looking towards the rear face of the door on which the lock is mounted and with the cover plate of the lock removed, and showing the parts of the lock in their relative positions just before the bolt has been fully extended to the locking position, or just after the bolt has been slightly withdrawn from the looking position, with the tumbler wheel having i their notches aligned and with the fence located in the aligned notches and with the cam follower tongue of the operating lever extending into the operating notch of the cam, and with the pin of the lower arm dropped through the notch opening of the cam flange;

Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1 showing the parts of the lock in their relative positions when the bolt is in its fully extended locking position, the pin of the lower arm of the operating lever having passed upwardly through the cam flange notch opening and riding in the circular groove and having elevated the upper arm of the operating lever so that the fence is clear of the peripheries of the tumbler wheels, whereby the tumbler wheel may be scrambled, and subsequent turning of the tumbler wheels produces no tell-tale feeling to an unauthorized person endeavoring to manipulate the lock;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary front elevational view looking towards the front face of the door, and illustrating the dial and knob, and dial ring of the look; i

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary rear elevational view looking towards the rear face of the door on which the lock is mounted, the cover plate of the lock being removed, and the parts of the lock being shown in their relative positions when the bolt is fully withdrawn to the unlocking position;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged detached inner end elevational view showing details of construction of the cam;

Fig. 6 is an enlarged detached side elevational view of the cam with portions broken away and shown in sections;

Fig. 7 is an enlarged detached outer end elevational view of the cam;

Fig. 8 is an enlarged elevational view of the lower aim detached from the operating lever;

Fig. 9 is a top plan view thereof with portions broken away and shown in sections;

Fig. 10 is a fragmentary rear elevational view showing parts of the lock in the same relative positions shown in Fig. 1, and illustrating details of the drive between the cam and the adjacent tumbler wheel;

Fig. 11 is a detached side elevational view of one of the tumbler wheels;

Fig. 12 is a detached elevational view of the pin face of the tumbler wheel of Fig. 11; and

Fig. 13 is a detached elevational view of the lug face of the tumbler wheel of Figs. 11 and 12.

Similar numerals refer to similar parts throughout the drawings.

The illustrated and preferred embodiment of the improved combination lock is indicated generally at I0, and includes a case II which is mounted on the inner face I2 of a door I3, which may be the door of a safe, and the lock may be used for stopping boltwork, not shown, in a usual manner. The lock I0 includes certain parts not shown in detail and which are substantially identical with such parts as shown and described in said Abbott and Miller U. S. Letters Patent No. 1,956,304, whereas other parts of the lock construction of said Abbott and Miller U. S. Letters Patent No. 1,956,304 pertinent to the present improvements, are shown and described in detail herein, as well as modified parts of the lock construction of said Abbott and Miller U. S. Letters Patent No. 1,956,304, and parts added thereto for the attainment of the present improvements.

The case II includes a tube I4 extending from the base wall I5 of the case, and the base wall is abutted against the inner face I 2 of the door I3.

The bore of the tube I4 communicates with a registering aperture formed in the base or front wall I5 of the case, and with an aperture formed in the door I3, and an operating spindle I6 is journalled in the tube I 4 and extends through the apertures of the base wall I5 and door I3.

A dial ring I! is secured upon the front face I8 of the door I3, and the spindle I6 also extends through an aperture formed in the dial ring, and a knob I9 and dial 20 are secured upon the outer end of the operating spindle I6.

The dial may have inscribed thereon equally spaced division lines, each tenth division line of which is numbered successively from 10 to 100.

A single preferably vertically extending mark or arrow 2I is formed or inscribed on the dial ring above the knob, and the mark 2I is utilized in conjunction with rotation of the dial 20 both for operating the combination, and for changing the combination, by reason of the improvements of the several mechanisms of the lock set forth in detail in said Abbott and Miller U. S. Letters Patent No. 1,956,304.

Within the case I I of the lock III, tumbler wheels 22, 22', and 22" are journaled on the tube I4 between the base wall I5 and a cam 23, the cam being removably secured upon the extremity of the spindle I 6 within the case, as by means of cooperating screw threads on the cam and spindle and a key 24 interposed in keyways formed in the cam and spindle.

The wheel 22 adjacent the cam 23 is driven by a' usual pin 25 mounted on the spindle, preferably on the inner face of the cam 23 which is secured as aforesaid on the spindle. The drive from the pin on the cam to the adjacent wheel 22 is by usual means such as a lever 26 journalled on, the tube l4 and having one side abutted by the cam drive pin and the other side abuttin one end of .a segmental flange or lug 29 on the hub or center 28 of the wheel 22. Similar drive means, such as a pin 30, carrythe drive from the wheel 22 to the wheel .22 and from the wheel 22 to the wheel 22". Such drive means are set forth in detail in said Abbott and Miller U. S. Letters Patent No. 1,956,304. l

Each of the wheels 22, 22, 22" are'preferably of the construction set forth in detail in said Abbott and Miller U. S. Letters Patent No. 1,956,304, and each wheel may be described generally as including a spaced pair of outer ring disc members releasable and engageable with the hub or center 28, and the means for effecting the drive from the cam 23 to the wheel 22, and from the wheel 22 to the wheel 22', and from the wheel 22 to the wheel 22" include the segmental lug or flange 29 on one side of the hub or center, and the pin 30 on the other side of the hub or center of each wheel. 1 I

The lock it furthermore includes a bolt 35 mounted in suitable ways 36a and 35b formed in the case ii, for movement to and from the extended locking or bolting position, illustrated in Fig. 2.

Movement of the bolt to and from lockin or bolting position may only be made after the tumbler wheels have been rotated to certain positions relative to each other as determined by the particular combination for which the lock is set. That is to say the combination is determined by the relative location oi each wheel center with respect to its outer discs, and the discs of each wheel have outwardly opening registering notches 31 formed therein which must be aligned with the notches of all the other wheel discs for permitting movement of the bolt 35.

The bolt moving means permitted to be operated when the notches 31 of the wheels have been aligned with each other as illustrated in-Fig. 1, include an operating lever 38 which is pivotally mounted on the bolt 35 as by means of a pivot screw 39. The lever 38 includes an upper operating arm 38a extending upwardly from the pivot screw 39 and above the cam 23.

The operating arm 38a has formed th-ereona cam follower tongue 381) which extends from the arm 38a towards the axis of the spindle shaft and in line with the cam 23, and the cam ,23 has a lever operating notch 23a formed therein which cooperates with the follower tongue 38b for moving the operating lever and bolt when the tongue is permitted to be inserted into the cam notch 23a. V g

A spring normally presses the lever arm 38a towards the cam 23', and a stop arm or fence 380 extends from the inside face of the lever arm 38a crosswise of the wheels.

Movement of the lever arm 38a into operable connection with the cam 23 is only possible when the stop arm or fence aligned notches 31 of the tumbler wheels, and when the cam notch 23a is likewise aligned with the wheel notches 31, at which relative location of the cam notch and wheel notches, the stop arm or-fence 38c drops into the aligned wheel notches and the cam follower tongue 38b drops into the cam notch, asshown in Fig. 1.

For the purposes of the present improvements, as best shown in Figs. 5, 6, and 7,, the cam 23 includes a hub 23?) and an enlarged cylindrical head 230, the hub 23b having an internally threaded bore 23d. and a keyway 23c formed 380 extends above the therein for connection with the spindle 13 as above described. Thefhead 230 has 'aisubstan tial thickness and. the cam notch 23a is formed in one end 23f of the .head, which is thefront end of the head 230 with reference to the. door l3 on which the lock I0 is mounted. On the other .orrear end 23g of the head 230 there is formed an outwardly opening circular groove 2371.. One wall 23Ic'form'ing the groove 23h constitutes an outer circular flange, and there is formed in the outer circular fiange'23k a notch opening 23m. The operating lever 38 furthermore includes a lower arm 40, as shown constituting aV-shaped arm'including abranch 4| having its upper end riveted to a lower extension 38d of the operating lever 38, and the V arm 40 also including an outwardly extending branch 42 adjacent the outer end of which there is'mou'nted a pin 43 which extends towards the cam 23, and the'pin 43 is so located that it -,may pass through the notch opening 23m and ride in the circular groove 23h'during the several operating movements of the bolt 35 and the operating lever 38.

notches and with the cam follower tongue 38b extending into the operating cam notch 23a.

When from its position as shown in Fig. 1, the bolt 35 is further withdrawn from the locking position by rotation of the dial knob l9 and spindle i6 counterclockwise as viewed in the drawings, the cam follower tongue remains in the cam notch 23a and the fence 38c remains in the aligned tumbler wheel notches 31, and the bolt 35 is withdrawn to the unlocking position shown in Fig. 4.

When, however, the bolt 35 is fully extended to the locking position as shown in Fig. 2 by clockwise rotation of the spindle I6 from its position as shown in Fig. 1, during-such clockwise rotation the cam notch 23a,-after the bolt 35 is fully extended, further causes the cam follower tongue 38b to-rise out of the cam notch, elevating the opcrating lever 38 and passing the pin 43 on the lower arm'40 through the notch opening 23m of the cam 23 and into the circular groove23h. The movement of the pin 43 through the notch opening 23m and into the groove 23h serves to.

further elevate the operating lever 38 ,to the position shown in Fig. 2 in which the stop arm or fence 380 is elevated with clearance above the outer peripheries-of the tumbler wheels 22, 22', and 22". I

Accordingly, after the tumbler wheels are scrambled from their positions shown in Fig. 2, as is usual after locking a combination lockysince the fence 3% is thus elevated with clearance above the outer peripheries of the tumbler wheels, there is no way by which an unauthorizedperson attempting to manipulate the improved combi-.

nation lock I0 can feel the passage of any tumbler notch 31; beneath the stop arm or fence 380,

since there is no contact between either corner I 015 any of the the fence. I

I After entrance of the pin 43 into the circular groove 23h as shown in Fig; 2, turning knob 19' in either direction passes the notch 23m'of the cam 23 below the pin 43, and the cam notch 23::

notches of the tumbler wheels with passes .belowthe cam followertongue 38b. If the. tumbler wheel notches 31 are not aligned with each other and with the cam notch 23a, the pin 43 drops into the notch 23m a distance less than the radius of the pin 43. Further turning of the knob 19 causes one of the walls of notch 23m to cam the. pin 43 out of the notch 23m and back into the groove 23h.

When the pin 43 drops, partially into notch 23m, no relative motion between the tumbler wheels 22, 22, and 22", and the fence 380 can take place, because any movement of cam 23 causes pin 43 to move into groove 23h, raising lever 38 and fence 380 before any tumbler wheel can move far enough to give an indication of its notch to a manipulator.

In the'combination lock set forth in said Abbott and Miller U. S. Letters Patent No. 1,956,304, there is such undesirable contact of the tumbler wheel notch corners with the fence during an unauthorized manipulation of the lock, by which the unauthorized person manipulating the lock can feel out the combination.

In the present improved combination lock [0, the above described changes and modifications of the cam 23, and the addition of the lower arm 40 to the operating lever 38 serve to attain the objects of the present invention or discovery'with only a very slight increase in the manufacturing costs of the improved combination lock ID as compared with the lock of the Abbott and Miller U. S. Letters Patent No. 1,956,304.

In the foregoing description, certain terms have been used for brevity, clearness, and understanding, but no unnecessary limitations are to be implied therefrom beyond the requirements of the prior art, because such words are used for descriptive purposes herein and are intended to be broadly construed.

Moreover, the embodiments of the improved construction illustrated and described herein are by way of example, and the scope of the present invention is not limited to the exact details of construction.

Having now, described the invention or discovery, the construction, the operation, and use of preferred embodiments thereof, and the advantageous new and useful results obtained thereby; the new and useful constructions, and reasonable mechanical equivalents thereof obvious to those skilled in the art, are set forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In combination lock construction including walls forming a case and including a base wall, a tube extending from the base wall,-a spindle journalled in the tube, one or more tumbler wheels journalled on the tube, a dial knob on the spindle beyond the case, a cam on the spindle within the case and beyond the tumbler wheels, the tumbler wheels each being formed with an outwardly opening notch, the cam being formed with an operating notch, drive means operative between the cam and the'adjacent tumbler wheel and drive means operative between each adjacent pair of tumbler wheels, 2, bolt mounted in the case for movement to and from an extended locking position, an operating lever, a pivotal connection between the Operating lever and the bolt, the operating lever including an upper arm extending above the spindle and having a cam follower tongue dependingtowards the cam, a fence extending from the upper operating lever arm parallel with the axis of the spindle, the cam notch and the tumbler wheel notches being arranged for alignment with each other by setting of the combination and for reception of the fence in the aligned tumbler wheel notches and the cam follower tongue in the cam notch when the combination is set, for withdrawing and extending the bolt from and to the locking position; the combination including an auxiliary cam portion on the spindle cam separate from the cam notch and cam follower means on the lever arm separate from the cam follower tongue for engagement by said auxiliary cam portion, the auxiliary cam portion and cam follower means being operative for elevating the fence with clearance above the tumbler wheels when the bolt is in the fully extended locking position.

2. In combination'lock construction including walls forming a case and including a base wall, a tube extending from the base wall, a spindle journalled in the tube, one or more tumbler wheels journalled on the tube, a dial knob on the sp beyond the case, a cam on the spindle within the case and beyond the tumbler wheels, the tumbler .wheels each being formed with an outwardly opening notch, the cam being formed with an operating notch, drive means operative between the cam and the adjacent tumbler Wheel and drive means operative between each adjacent pair of tumbler wheels, a bolt mounted in the case for movement to and from an extended locking position, an operating lever, a pivotal connection between the operating lever and the bolt, the operating lever including an upper arm extending above the spindle and having a cam follower tongue depending towards the cam, a fence extending from the upper operating lever arm parallel with the axis of the spindle, the cam notch and the tumbler wheel notches being arranged for alignment with each other by setting of the combination and for reception of the fence in the aligned tumbler wheel notches and the cam follower tongue in the cam notch when the combination is set, for withdrawing and extending the bolt from and to the locking position; the combination including the formation on the cam of a circular groove opening outwardly from one face of the cam, the cam including one wall forming the groove constituting an outer circular flange and the outer circular flange having a notch opening formed therein, and the operating lever having a lower arm extending below the spindle, and

the operating lever lower arm having a pin positioned for movement through the notch opening of the cam circular flange into the circular groove of the cam during elevation of the operating lever in the final locking movement of the bolt and so as to elevate the fence with clearance above the tumbler wheels when the bolt is in the fully extended locking position.

3. In combination lock construction as set forth in claim 2, and in which the circular-groove and notch opening are formed in the face of the cam most remote from the adjacent tumbler wheel.

HERBERT c. BEHRENS'.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 821,548 Streeter et a1 May 22, 1906 1,956,304 Abbott et a1 Apr. 24, 1934 

